Civil War discussion group for the San Francisco Peninsula

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Welcome to website of the San Francisco Peninsula’s own Round Table. Founded in 1972, we are a non-profit organization dedicated to the study and preservation of America’s Civil War era history. You are welcome to join us on the third Tuesday of each month to hear noted historians and authors speak on various topics related to the War and other history topics. See the MEETING INFO tab above for meeting times and directions. Upcoming meetings:

Libra Hilde on “Native American Experience during the Civil War”

Stand Watie, Cherokee leader and brigadier general, CSA

Libra Hilde is an Associate Professor at San Jose State University. She did her undergraduate work at UC Berkeley and her graduate work at Harvard. After completing her Ph.D. in 2003, she spent two years teaching at Stanford University. Dr. Hilde’s research and teaching interests focus on 19th century America, particularly the Jacksonian period, slavery, the Civil War, Reconstruction, and women’s history. She also has a strong in background in 19th and 20th century Native American history. Her first book, Worth A Dozen Men: Women and Nursing in the Civil War South, was published in the Spring of 2012.

Chris Palmer on “Invasion of the Chesapeake – War of 1812 Bicentennial Defense of Washington and Baltimore”

Bombardment of Fort Henry, 1814 (Wikipedia)

Chris presented an overview of the British raiding of the Chesapeake in 1813 and 1814 and the Battles of Bladensburg at Washington and North Point, Hampstead Hill, and Fort McHenry at Baltimore. Most of the land War of 1812 had been fought along the Canadian border, around Niagara and Great Lakes, with some naval actions on the Lakes. The British were trying to end the American war and to harass and to divert US forces from the real British objective of attacking Plattsburgh, New York. The British hoped that having finally defeated Napoleon, they could end the American war and perhaps take back portions of New England and secure the Canadian border by the two-prong simultaneous action in the Chesapeake and taking Plattsburgh and defeat the American army at the same time. The Chesapeake raiding forces’ goals were to harass and panic the Americans, bottle up US Navy ships, and prevent privateers from escaping Baltimore to raid British shipping. Privateers were a real irritant and the British commanders wanted to make the “den of pirates” in Baltimore pay by taking McHenry and then Baltimore.

Chris Palmer is a practicing geologist and hydrogeologist consultant working mostly on applied groundwater contaminant problems, and some engineering geology. Most of his work is in the Bay Region and at times he has worked in other states over the last 34 years. He is a life-long amateur historian, mostly American history as well as world history and history of science.

Walter Day on “Assault on the Pegasus Bridge – Thwarting Rommel’s plan to roll-up the British Invasion Force on Sword Beach, Normandy, June 6, 1944″

Walter Day

Why is this operation important to study? This operation was planned and executed almost perfectly with 181 men in six gliders capturing two bridges spanning the Orne River and the Caen Canal intact!

The assaulting force suffered one fatality. Having visited the site and seen the bridges and gliders, it is very impressive what this small force was able to do.

Walter Day is a microwave engineer who has worked in the Bay Area for 45 years. He has served as President of the PCWRT and is presently the Program Chairman. He has studied the Civil War since he was a teen and has researched his Great-Grandfather’s service with the Army of Northern Virginia. Having served as an officer in the U.S.Navy he has a more than passing interest in Naval actions of the Civil War.

Jack Mather on “A Family of Fighting Americans”

Jack Mather

A family of fighting Americans: Valley Forge, War of 1812, Second Seminole War, Mexican–American War, and the Civil War. At least four family members were killed in action. One member created an important American Historical Symbol (celebrated this last weekend), another is a figure in a famous battlefield painting that we all know.

Dana Lombardy on “Why did World War Two happen—How were the United States and its allies able to defeat Nazi Germany?”

Dana Lombardy

Dana described how the “sudden” cease-fire in November 1918 was later used by Nazi propaganda to as proof that Germany’s “unbeaten armies were “stabbed in the back” by their political leaders. In addition, the 1919 Treaty of Versailles worried many important people at the time that the treaty’s harsh terms would only lead to another war. But what was the treaty’s real impact on World War Two? What does this mean to Americans today? What lessons can we learn from the mistakes of the past?

Dana Lombardy was an Associate Online Editor for Armchair General magazine and now does research, writing and design through Lombardy Studios. Dana is best known for his nearly twenty television appearances, including multiple episodes of The History Channel’s “Tales of the Gun” series. He has contributed as an editor, cartographer, graphic artist and designer on many books, games, and magazines, and was Publisher of Napoleon Journal from 1996 to 2000.

2014 West Coast Civil War Conference Announced

Craig L. Symonds and Harold Holzer

The Sacramento CWRT will host the West Coast Civil War Conference, November 7-9, 2014. The theme will be “1864” and the fun and learning will start on November 7th (Friday afternoon) with a late afternoon social hour, dinner, and speech. As usual, the activities continue on Saturday with another social hour, dinner, and speech at night. The Conference will continue until Sunday noon when we will all return to our homes.

We have the commitments of two very well known Civil War historians to provide much of the action over the weekend. Craig Symonds and Harold Holzer will be doing the heavy lifting. We are evaluating along with them a new format for them at some time over the weekend. This would be a “conversational” format where Craig and Hal would sit in easy chairs in front of the room and carry on a conversation about the events of 1864 – giving their views on issues beyond just relating the facts. What an innovation this could be!!! There will be other speakers and activities as well and a detailed agenda will be released in the near future. Hotel rooms including a hot breakfast buffet will cost $99 for up to two people per room. Stay tuned for more! For questions, email Paul Ruud at , George W. Foxworth at , or Don Hayden at .

Bob Hubbs on “Four Regiments and Four Privates”

Often CWRT presentations are prepared based on an important Civil War battle, a famous Civil War person, a famous regiment or unit, or a special Civil War site or location. Bob’s presentation was prepared without any special fame and any famous leaders, but by selecting four unknown or little known regiments and an unknown or little known private from regiment and then doing research. Selection of the regiments and how the privates were selected will be presented and why they were selected. The four regiments will be followed from their formation until the end of the Civil War, and the movements, battles, and actions they encountered during that period. What happened to “their” private during the Civil War period? Why select only four regiments and four privates?

There were unexpected challenges is finding information about the regiments and the privates who were selected—several of those challenges will be introduced and discussed. It was a surprising search, discovering more information than expected, and it was much later after several years of research that Bob realized that he had material to give a presentation.

Bob Hubbs is active in the following Round Table groups: San Francisco, Peninsula, and South Bay. He has presented to each of those groups multiple times over the years. He has also served as the Program Chair for each of those groups.

From 1956 he has been active in research and laboratory work. During that period he has been called chemist, teacher, educator, Professor, Dean, and Historian. His Civil War interests are Grant, Lincoln, and he has been called on several occasions “A Dam Yankee”.

Howard Jones on “Corinth and the Battle of Shiloh”

Howard Jones

April of 2012 marked the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh. In this battle over 65,000 Federal troops and 43,000 Confederates engaged in two bloody days of warfare. Total casualties from this battle exceeded 25,000. The battle was fought at Shiloh, but it was not about Shiloh – it was always about Corinth. In fact, the Shiloh Battlefield is only 20 miles north of the City of Corinth.

Corinth was of great strategic importance to both armies. It was a key railroad center and served both the (east/west) Memphis & Charleston railroad and the (north/south) Mobile & Ohio railroad. It was also just 20 miles from Pittsburg Landing on the Tennessee River. In 1861, the Federal government developed its strategy for invading the Confederacy in the West. The object was to attack and capture key rail centers and waterways in the South.

In April, 1862 General Henry Halleck ordered the Army of the Tennessee under General Ulysses Grant and the Army of the Ohio under General Don Carlos Buell to converge on Pittsburg Landing for the purpose of attacking and capturing Corinth. As General Grant waited for the troops under General Buell to arrive he was attacked by 43,000 Confederate troops under the Command of Albert Sidney Johnston. The two day battle that ensued is the subject of this presentation.

Howard Jones is a long time member (and current president) of the Peninsula Civil War Roundtable and a student of the Civil War.